Over There... NOW!!!

I have posted from time to time about my mother's horrible cat.  And he is horrible, moody and cranky and vicious and bitey, the dictionary definition of a 'no-touch kitty.'  He's in his declining years now, so he's not quite so awful as he once was in his prime, but he's still not a friendly cat.  At all.
   He is still a cat, though.  He does that baking-bread thing, but since he's not friendly he doesn't do it on a person, he does it on a blanket on the floor.  And since he only has 3 1/2 feet (congential defect), he's not very good at it.  He also rubs up on you when you feed him, and he gets in the way when he wants something so you trip over him, and he wants to be in the same room as you, but not so close that it looks like he's hanging out with you.  He also does that 'run over there' move from time to time.
   If you've been around cats at all you know this move.  All of a sudden they decide they have to be 'Over there... NOW!!!'  They tear off for another room like something's after them.  Then after a few seconds in that room they tear off for another room.  Or for outside.
   I've never seen any explanation for why this is.  At least none that apply to my mother's horrible cat.  He's not an indoor cat, he has a cat door that he uses all the time to go outside.  I mean 'go' outside, he really hates his cat box and does his dirty business out of doors. So he's not trapped inside, and he does hunt - he still brings my mother 'presents' of birds and vermin from time to time - so he's not working off nervous energy.  He's the only pet in the house and so rules the roost, nothing to fear there.  But he'll still go tearing off every so often, with wide eyes and his ears back, his fur bristling.
   I've compiled a list of possible explanations for this 'cat emergency' behavior. 

1.  The Big Idea
   Cats can plan, they can anticipate consequences, so they can think.  They have a lot of free time in the day to ponder the big questions, so from time to time inspiration must hit.  They have a Big Idea - the solution to scientific puzzles or societal ills.  Problem is... they have no thumbs and no way to write anything down.  They dash from room to room in frustration.
2.  Ghosts
   Cats can see ghosts.  But ghosts are boring, and cats don't want to talk to them.  So they're running around trying to avoid having a conversation with spirits.
3.  Hot Feet
   They've been smoking, and they dropped a cat-sized Zippo lighter onto their feets.  They're running around to put out the butane flames, which burn almost invisibly.
4.  They're Screwing With Us
   They do it to make us wonder what's going on.  Plain and simple, cats are jerks.
5.  Quantum fluctuation
   Schroedinger's thought experiment was real.  Except you don't need a box.  If you stop thinking about a cat it could blink out of existence. So cats run around the house like maniacs to make sure you know they're still there.